After a recent market scan, we have seen that the Ultimate Oscillator reading is above 60 on shares of Alaska Air Group (ALK). Technical analysts might be using the UO reading to spot overbought conditions.

Investing in the stock market has traditionally offered bigger returns than other types of investments. Along with the opportunity for higher returns comes a higher amount of risk. Stocks can be exposed to both market risk and business or financial risk. Market risk may be evident when the overall market takes a nose dive. Investors may hold stock of a company that has been performing great, but due to poor market conditions, the stock decreases in value. Investors may look to offset this risk by investing in other vehicles that don’t tend to move together. The business risk with stocks involves factors that may cause a company to perform poorly. This may include bad management, heightened competition, and declining company profits. Investors may try to limit this risk by creating a diversified portfolio including stocks from different sectors.

Shares of Alaska Air Group (ALK) have a 200-day moving average of 63.64. The 50-day is 65.53, and the 7-day is sitting at 64.85. Using a bigger time frame to assess the moving average such as the 200-day, may help block out the noise and chaos that is often caused by daily price fluctuations. In some cases, MA’s may be used as strong reference points for spotting support and resistance levels.

Currently, the 14-day ADX for Alaska Air Group (ALK) is 16.89. Generally speaking, an ADX value from 0-25 would indicate an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would indicate a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signal a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would indicate an extremely strong trend. The Average Directional Index or ADX is a technical analysis indicator used to describe if a market is trending or not trending. The ADX alone measures trend strength but not direction. Using the ADX with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) may help determine the direction of the trend as well as the overall momentum. Many traders will use the ADX alongside other indicators in order to help spot proper trading entry/exit points.

Alaska Air Group (ALK)’s Williams Percent Range or 14 day Williams %R is sitting at -12.77. Typically, if the value heads above -20, the stock may be considered to be overbought. On the flip side, if the indicator goes under -80, this may signal that the stock is oversold.

When completing stock analysis, investors and traders may opt to review other technical levels. Alaska Air Group (ALK) currently has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 124.01. Investors and traders may use this indicator to help spot price reversals, price extremes, and the strength of a trend. Many investors will use the CCI in conjunction with other indicators when evaluating a trade. The CCI may be used to spot if a stock is entering overbought (+100) and oversold (-100) territory.

The RSI, or Relative Strength Index, is a commonly used technical momentum indicator that compares price movement over time. The RSI was created by J. Welles Wilder who was striving to measure whether or not a stock was overbought or oversold. The RSI may be useful for spotting abnormal price activity and volatility. The RSI oscillates on a scale from 0 to 100. The normal reading of a stock will fall in the range of 30 to 70. A reading over 70 would indicate that the stock is overbought, and possibly overvalued. A reading under 30 may indicate that the stock is oversold, and possibly undervalued. After a recent check, the 14-day RSI is currently at 56.68, the 7-day stands at 65.19, and the 3-day is sitting at 75.70.

Investors often hear the saying “buy low, sell high”. This may seem highly obvious to anybody looking to get into the stock market. Even though investors typically know they should do this, novices tend to do just the opposite, buy high and sell low. Often times, amateur investors will get carried away when a stock is trending higher. They may attempt to get in on the stock after a big move with hopes of the stock going higher and an overall thought that relates to the fear of missing out. Often times, investors will find themselves in a precarious situation when this occurs. They might have taken a chance on a stock that maybe was too good to be true. Investors may regret buying after the big move when the price has far exceeded the underlying value. Closely watching the fundamentals may help investors avoid getting into sticky situations such as buying too high.